The doctor of philosophy degree is a research degree. It is awarded in recognition of demonstrated mastery of subject matter in a chosen field of study and demonstrated competence in the conduct of an individual research investigation that represents a significant contribution to the cumulative knowledge of the field. The program of study and research will be planned and supervised by an Advisory committee. Each candidate’s course work and research topic must be approved by the advisory committee as meeting the standards generally associated with the doctoral degree. A minimum of 30 course and/or research credit hours beyond the MS degree (or its equivalent) or a minimum of 60 course and/or research credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree is required. The doctoral student must complete the following:
- If you are a Michigan Tech master’s student applying to a doctoral program, and substitution of the D1 for a regular application is okay with your program, file an Acceptance into the Doctorate Program form (D1)
- choose an advisor and file a Recommended Advisor form (D2)
- file a Preliminary Program of Study form with your program - this form is not required by the Graduate School (D3)
- successfully complete the comprehensive exams report on the Comprehensive Examination form (D4, D4-EngPhysics)
- choose an advisory committee and chair and file a Recommend Advisory Committee form (D4A)
- file a Degree Schedule form (D5)
- develop and defend a dissertation plan and file an Approval of Dissertation Proposal form (D6)
- file a Scheduling of Final Oral Examination form (D7) and defend an approved dissertation in an oral exam
- file a Report on the Final Examination form (D8)
- submit the corrected, approved dissertation and associated forms
- finish the degree within the prescribed time limit
- Forms are available on-line at http://www.gradschool.mtu.edu/policies/trackingforms.html
In addition to the Graduate School requirements, which are described below, individual programs may have higher standards. Students are expected to know their program’s requirements.
Grades—All grades must be B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better in the major subject area. The department chair can approve no more than 6 credits of BC (2.5) or C (2.0) in a cognate department. The student must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better to remain in good standing.
Campus Residency Requirement— There are no university-wide, on-campus residency requirements. Some degree programs have specific requirements. Doctoral students must complete the equivalent of at least four semesters of full-time study through Michigan Tech beyond attainment of a bachelor’s degree, or the equivalent of at least two semesters of full-time study beyond attainment of a master’s degree. Research credits used to satisfy degree requirements must be taken through Michigan Tech and must be supervised by a member of the Michigan Tech graduate faculty. No more than one-third of a graduate student’s course work can be completed elsewhere.
Time Limit—Comprehensive examinations must be taken within five years of entry and two terms before the final oral defense, and all requirements must be completed within eight years from the time of a student’s first enrollment in the doctoral program.
Modern Language Requirement—There is no University-wide language requirement for doctoral degrees. Individual programs may require a foreign language. Each program is responsible for establishing standards and examination procedures where a foreign language is required. Doctoral students should consult with their advisory committee concerning program regulations.
Advisory Committee
During the student’s first semester of residence, an Advisor will be chosen to assume initial responsibility for the direction of the student’s educational program and to hold meetings as needed to fulfill this responsibility. It is also possible that other members of the advisory committee will be chosen at the same time as the advisor. The advisor and committee, consisting of at least two members of the graduate faculty in addition to the advisor, will be appointed by the chair of the major department or program with the approval of the Graduate School and filed on the D2 and D4A forms. This committee, with the addition of a fourth, external member, will often become the Examining Committee (see “Oral Examination” below).
Preliminary Program of Study—Initially the Advisory Committee will meet with the student and prepare a program of course study and research work that will lead to the doctoral degree. A worksheet, Preliminary Program of Study (form D3), may be used to record this plan. This form is not required to be submitted to the Graduate School, but may be required by some programs and if so, should be submitted to the department.
Proficiency Examinations—Exams may be scheduled as necessary by the department or program to assist in planning students' study programs or to determine the advisability of students continuing in the doctoral program.
Comprehensive Examination
A comprehensive examination will be given to determine the general knowledge appropriate to the student’s program and the student’s ability to use this knowledge. This examination will be a written examination, although it may be oral in part if recommended by the Advisory Committee, but it must be given no later than five years after enrollment. It is recommended that the comprehensive exam be given after about two years of doctoral study and following completion of all course work required by the Advisory Committee. The examination will be given after the applicant has completed any modern language requirement and at least two terms prior to scheduling the final oral examination.
The examination will be prepared and administered by the major department or program with the cooperation of the Advisory Committee. Satisfactory performance on the comprehensive examination will be regarded as an indication that no additional formal course work is needed, although the student may take additional course work. Any member of the graduate faculty may attend the oral examination as an observer.
Final Degree Schedule—Upon satisfactory completion of the comprehensive examination, a final Degree Schedule form (D5) must be filed in the Graduate School office and approved prior to scheduling a final oral examination. This Degree Schedule should include all course work taken since the last previous degree to be applied to the doctoral degree. It must be approved by the Advisory Committee Chair as meeting the standards associated with the doctor of philosophy degree.
Dissertation
The research study undertaken as part of the doctoral degree program will be presented in the form of a dissertation that can be made a permanent acquisition of the library, along with an abstract. There is no word length requirement for the abstract, but students are advised that many databases will truncate the abstract at 350 words. Any classified or proprietary material that cannot be made available to the public is not acceptable as a dissertation. Completing the dissertation includes approval of the dissertation proposal, preparing the dissertation according to guidelines, and filing the completed (and successfully defended) dissertation.
The dissertation will be written and prepared under the supervision of the chair of the Advisory Committee according to discipline-specific writing requirements. Publication guidelines are found in Publishing Your Dissertation (UMI Dissertations Publishing). The Graduate School Office sends this booklet to students when the Scheduling of Final Examination Form (D7) has been received. A completed draft of the dissertation must be approved by the Advisory Committee Chair two weeks prior to the final examination.
After the dissertation has been satisfactorily defended, recommended or other appropriate editorial changes in the dissertation should be made with the approval of the Advisory Committee chair.
The corrected dissertation, as approved by the committee, along with an original signature page (advisor and department chair signatures), is submitted to the Graduate School Office as a pdf file on CD for printing and binding. The J. R. Van Pelt Library archives all doctoral dissertations. A paper copy, printed single sided, accompanied by the required form, attachments, and payment, is for submission to UMI Dissertations Publishing for microfilming and inclusion in Dissertation Abstracts International. If the student prepares appropriately, the UMI submission can be done electronically.
Oral Examination
At a public final oral examination, primarily concerning the research and doctoral dissertation, the candidate should justify the validity of the methods and conclusions contained in the dissertation and should be familiar with the import of the particular investigations reported in the dissertation relative to the larger body of existing knowledge. The examination may be given any time after a period of two academic terms following the successful completion of the comprehensive examination and upon completion of the dissertation in a satisfactory form. The student’s examination results must be reported to the Graduate School office on the D8.
The Examining Committee will be appointed by the Graduate School in consultation with the department chair. The committee will consist of at least four members of the graduate faculty. At least one of these will be from outside the student's administrative home department. The primary advisor, or a co-advisor who serves as chair of the committee, must be from the student's home department. For interdisciplinary and non-departmental programs, the outside examiner may not be affiliated with the interdisciplinary or non-departmental program. A person external to Michigan Tech may be appointed as an ad hoc member of the Graduate Faculty to serve as the outside examiner. Persons who are not members of the Graduate Faculty may not serve as voting members of doctoral examination committees.
The examination will be scheduled, by filing the Scheduling of Final Oral Examination form (D7) with the Graduate School, in consultation with the chair of the Advisory Committee. An electronic version of the abstract in Word (*.doc) format must be sent to the Graduate School at the same time the D7 is submitted. The date of the examination must be at least two weeks following the approval of the completed draft of the dissertation by the Advisory Committee. Copies of the completed draft must be distributed to any new members of the Examining Committee at least two weeks prior to the scheduled examination date.
Timeline to Degree—PhD
First reconcile this suggested chronology with your program’s requirements. The sequence may not be the same as written here. Take this timeline to a meeting with your advisory committee to make sure your goals are consistent with their expectations.
| Date | Done | |
|---|---|---|
| During the first semester of residence or soon thereafter | ||
| [For internal applications from Master’s program only] D1, Acceptance into the Doctoral Program*—completed by the Director of your Graduate Program, perhaps after a preliminary exam. | ||
| Make sure the Graduate School has official final transcripts showing proof of your previous degrees (if not from Michigan Tech). | ||
| Get a Social Security Number if you will be a GRA or GTA, or otherwise working. | ||
| Fill out a Patent, Research, and Proprietary Rights form in your program office. | ||
| Inform the Office of Student Records and Registration of any changes in your status, address, student identification number, etc. | ||
| During the second semester of residence | ||
| D2, Recommended Advisor—Your department chair/Graduate Program Director appoints an advisor to meet with you and prepare a program of courses and research work. If at any time you wish to change advisors, it should be approved by the department chair and reported to the Graduate School. Arrange a meeting with your advisor to work on the D3 and plan your degree path. | ||
| D3, Preliminary Program of Study—This is a list of all courses you have completed since you received your BS and any additional courses your committee says you should take. This form is for student planning purposes only and is not submitted to the Graduate School. If credit transfers are necessary, use the Transfer Credits form. | ||
| Proficiency Examination—if required by program | ||
| Modern Language Requirements—if required by program | ||
| As work goes on | ||
| If your research involves animal subjects, human subjects, or recombinant DNA you must obtain approval from the appropriate administrative review committee(s). Applications for approval(s) may be found on the Research web site. If you need further assistance, please contact the Research Compliance Administrator by phone 906-487-2902. | ||
| At least 2 semesters prior to scheduling the final oral examination and no more than five years after beginning your doctoral program, you will be given a written comprehensive exam (and perhaps an oral exam) after you have completed any modern language requirement. Satisfactory performance on the comprehensive exam usually indicates that no additional course work is needed, although you have the option of taking more. | ||
| D4, D4-EngPhysics, Report on the Comprehensive Examination—Comprehensive exams must be completed and recorded in Banner within 5 years of starting the program and at least two terms prior to the dissertation defense. Results are recorded in Banner by graduate program staff. This form is for use by programs for internal record-keeping and verification of exam results and should not be sent to the Graduate School. | ||
| D4A, Recommended Advisory Committee—Your department chair/Graduate Program Director appoints an advisory committee of graduate faculty members to meet with you and prepare a program of research work. Any changes in the membership of this committee should be approved by the department chair and reported to the Graduate School. Arrange a meeting with your committee to work on D5 and plan your research path. | ||
| D5, Degree Schedule—The Graduate School can start verifying your grades immediately. Your copy will be returned to you. | ||
| The Dissertation | ||
| D6, Approval of Dissertation Proposal—This should be a simple statement of your research goal and plan of attack. (This is sometimes the oral part of the comprehensive exam.) | ||
| At least 6 weeks prior to your defense, send the dissertation draft to your advisory (three-member) committee. | ||
| D7, Scheduling of Dissertation Defense—due in the Graduate School at least two weeks before the defense date but after the examining committee has approved your draft. The examining (defense) committee must be comprised of at least four graduate faculty members, including at least one from a cognate department. Non-Michigan Tech members of your committee must be appointed to the Graduate Faculty. Your copy of the signed form will be returned with instructions on how to complete your degree. | ||
| Dissertation Defense—Take your D8, Report on Dissertation Defense, to the defense for signatures. Your advisor/program may hold the signed form for up to two weeks following the defense; research grades will not be changed until this form is in the Graduate School. | ||
Submission of Dissertation—After the defense, make corrections as directed and get the new original dissertation signed. Determine whether you are submitting a CD for printing and binding or a fully linked ETD. Convert the file to the appropriate electronic format. If you are NOT submitting an ETD, you will need to print one complete copy for submission to UMI. Complete pages 3 and 4 of the UMI dissertation publishing document and submit them to the Graduate School. Read the document attached to your copy of the signed D7 carefully for other details related to completing your degree and submitting your dissertation. Bring a CD containing your dissertation no later than 4pm of the first day of classes of the following semester along with the following documents:
You can usually receive a certification letter after a degree audit is done by the Graduate School if all your degree requirements are complete. Please also take the Exiting Graduate Student Survey. This is optional, but will be very much appreciated. |
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| The Goal: Graduation—no more than eight years after starting the doctoral program. Your transcript will indicate degree granted by the 4th week of the next semester. If you have left a valid address, your diploma will be mailed to you about 90 days after semester end. | ||
| Be sure the Graduate School and your advisor are aware of your commencement plans early in the commencement semester. | ||
| * All these forms can be sent to the Graduate School by your Graduate Program Assistant via campus mail. Copies of signed forms will be returned to you and the gradaute program. Be sure to keep a file of your paperwork. | ||